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Naruto was exhausted. Actually, no, he was more than exhausted. He was exhausted three hours ago. Now, he was more dead on his feet than anything else.
To say that the day had been busy would be the understatement of the century.
His day had started rather normally, at Mount Myōboku, perfecting his mastery of Sage Mode, that old Fukasaku was teaching him. Naruto had grasped the basics, but now he needed to train a little more to be sure he could use this new technique in combat.
And then, his day took a dramatic turn when Lady Shima, Fukasaku’s wife, summoned them to Konoha. Or rather, what was left of Konoha, because the village Naruto loved so much was now nothing but a pile of rubble. In Sage Mode, Naruto could feel all the pain and death surrounding the village, and it was almost worse than seeing it firsthand.
A merciless battle against the Pain ensued, and Naruto thought he’d handled it rather well! He’d managed to defeat all but one of them. And while Naruto was on the ground, immobilized by those chakra rod-like devices that held him down, Hinata arrived at his rescue.
However, Hinata, despite her significant progress, was no match for the final Pain, and the inevitable happened. Hinata was killed before Naruto’s helpless eyes, and his world stopped.
Hinata, even though he didn’t have romantic feelings for her, unlike her, was a precious friend and seeing her killed before his eyes, so easily, had really driven Naruto crazy.
Naruto had rarely felt as angry as he did at that moment, and when Kyuubi awoke within him, he barely held it back, letting himself be consumed by the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon.
And just when Naruto was so close to tearing off the seal that kept Kyuubi sealed inside him, the Yondaime Hokage himself appeared before Naruto.
The Fourth Hokage, in addition to reforming the seal that Naruto had almost broken, had also revealed to Naruto that he was his father.
Naruto honestly didn’t know what to make of this information. On one hand, he was ecstatic. The Yondaime Hokage had always been something of an idol to Naruto, and he was the village’s hero, the one who had prevented Konoha’s destruction by the Nine-Tails by sealing the demonic beast inside a newborn baby. But on the other hand, Naruto was the newborn baby in whom that demon had been sealed and learning that his own father had burdened him with this responsibility was a devastating blow.
But Naruto hadn’t really thought about it at the time, telling himself that he had other things to do and that he could think about it later.
So, trying not to dwell too much on these heavy revelations, Naruto returned to the fight. He had managed, not without difficulty, to get rid of the last Pain and, thanks to Sage Mode, had tracked back the source to find the summoner who was manipulating the Pains in the shadows.
This was followed by another battle, this time verbal and of will, against Nagato, who was apparently a former student of the Pervy Sage.
Naruto had also won that battle, and Nagato, convinced by Naruto’s vision and joining his fight, had used his last strength to restore all the lives he had taken that day during the assault on Konoha. Konan, Nagato’s friend, then withdrew, taking with her the bodies of Nagato and the last Pain, who was apparently the body of a close friend of theirs who had died long ago.
Finally, Pain’s assault on Konoha was over, and Konoha had escaped relatively unscathed, with no casualties. Of course, the village was in ruins and would have to rebuild, but Naruto had faith in Konoha. The village was strong, and it would recover from this attack.
The assault was over, and Konoha had emerged victorious, but Naruto was utterly exhausted and wanted nothing more than to curl up in a corner and sleep for at least three years. But first, he had to return to the village and make sure everyone was truly alright. He also needed to see a medic-nin before enjoying his well-deserved rest because he was pretty sure he had several broken ribs and other bones, and he knew Sakura would never forgive him if he didn’t get treatment before going to sleep. And honestly, Naruto was so exhausted that he would probably let his friend treat him without much protest.
But for that to happen, he had to reach Konoha. And judging by his trembling steps and his vision darkening with each step, it wasn’t a sure thing.
Naruto tripped over nothing and fell to his knees, the jolt aggravating all his injuries and causing him to stifle a groan of pain. The ground really seems comfortable, but Naruto shook his head and got to his feet, leaning against a nearby tree.
The young man managed to advance another ten meters or so before losing his fight against gravity, leaning dangerously towards the ground without having the slightest strength to hold on.
It was going to hurt. It wasn’t the first time Naruto would hit the ground head-on, and certainly not the last, but it was never pleasant.
The blond closed his eyes and, devoid of all strength, awaited the impact.
Impact that didn’t happen. Or rather, the impact with the ground didn’t happen, and instead, Naruto’s torso found itself resting against something that was definitely more comfortable than the ground, while still being quite solid.
Honestly, Naruto was just glad he hadn’t fallen flat on his face. And then, the thing Naruto had fallen on started talking. “It seems that today again, you’ve gone too far.”
Naruto opened his eyes slightly, but it didn’t give him much more context. However, he would recognize this person anywhere and in any situation. “Iruka-sensei…” He breathed, resting his head against the other man’s shoulder. What a nice surprise reunion, he hadn’t seen the other man in quite some time.
“I’m here, Naruto.” Iruka assured him, without moving or making a move to dislodge Naruto.
The young man didn’t answer right away, taking a moment to appreciate the unexpected presence of the other man. Then, after perhaps a minute, he tried to stand up but didn’t get far before Iruka protested.
“Stay there, just rest on me.” The dark-haired man offered, slightly repositioning Naruto so he could carry him on his back, the young man’s arms hanging loosely around his shoulders, and Iruka placing his hands under Naruto’s knees to hold him steady. “You’ve earned it. You did great.”
Naruto didn’t reply but nodded slightly, letting Iruka carry him. Iruka then set off unhurriedly, heading towards the village while carrying Naruto as if he weighed nothing.
Honestly, it was almost insulting how easily Iruka was able to carry him. Naruto had definitely bulked up lately.
Iruka seemed to want to ask Naruto a thousand and one questions, but he held back and Naruto was grateful for that.
Naruto was too exhausted and at the same time had far too many things on his mind to be able to make conversation at the moment.
In the silence of the forest, Naruto had time to reflect on the day’s events. On his fight against Pain. On the near destruction of the Kyuubi seal. On the appearance and revelations of the Yondaime Hokage. On his exchange with Nagato.
But more than Pain, Kyuubi, and Nagato, Naruto’s mind remained fixated on the 4th Hokage. His father.
But was he really his father? Biologically, yes, and the physical resemblance between the two left no room for doubt. But otherwise? Naruto wasn’t entirely sure.
Did Naruto even have a father?
A father was supposed to love his child, be there to guide them, know when to be strict but also be lenient. A father was supposed to be a role model, someone to admire. Someone you don’t always get along with but still respect because they inspire you to be respected. A father was by your side through thick and thin, always ready to listen but also knowing when to give you space. A father knew at a glance what you needed, sometimes even before you knew it yourself.
On second thought, yes, Naruto did have a father. But it wasn’t Minato Namikaze. At least, he didn’t think so, he wasn’t sure.
“I met my father.” He blurted out in a low voice, without having really made the conscious decision to speak.
But then again, Naruto had always been great at talking and terrible at thinking. Maybe talking about what he was thinking would help him make sense of it? It was worth a try.
Iruka, who absolutely did not expect Naruto to start talking, and even less to say that, stopped abruptly.
He quickly resumed his walk, but now his brain was in overdrive. “You saw...” He began, not really sure how to react or what to say.
“The Yondaime Hokage.” Naruto confirmed. “My father, apparently.”
“How can you…? How is that possible?”
“During the fight, I lost my cool a little bit, and the Kyuubi seal almost broke. But before I could completely deactivate it, the Fourth Hokage appeared before me. He told me he was my father and that he was the one who had sealed the Kyuubi inside me.”
Iruka remained silent for a little while longer, completely unsure how to respond to that. “I… It’s the truth.” He finally said, not knowing what else to say. “You were born on the day of the Kyuubi attack, and the Yondaime Hokage sealed it inside you. I don’t know the details or what motivated him to do that, but what I do know is that he wanted you to be seen as the village hero, the one who stopped the Kyuubi attack.”
Naruto chuckled darkly at that. What a huge joke.
“Yeah, I know.” Iruka agreed. “The Sandaime Hokage didn’t exactly do a good job of honoring his successor’s last wishes.”
That, too, was the understatement of the century, and Iruka still hadn’t forgiven the Third Hokage for allowing the mistreatment Naruto had suffered since he was a child. It all came to a halt when Naruto was seven, when Iruka realized the utterly deplorable conditions in which he was living and decided that if the Hokage didn’t do anything about it, he would.
Iruka had taken Naruto in at that time and cared for him like his own son, all the while knowing he would never truly be Naruto’s father. The Hokage hadn’t liked it, but Iruka had told him where he stood and kept Naruto at his home.
From the moment he rescued Naruto, Iruka tried to undo the village’s mistakes, but he couldn’t change the behavior of an entire village just like that, and it remained very difficult for Naruto. But at least, at night, he had a place where he could be safe, with someone who believed in him.
Iruka knew he would never be Naruto’s father and had accepted it. But hearing that Naruto had met his real father made him question things again.
Having met his father, would Naruto realize that Iruka was merely a pale imitation? Would he resent Iruka for trying to take his father’s place? Would Naruto want to cut ties with him or, on the contrary, keep him close? And if he still wanted Iruka, what would change in their relationship?
In any case, there was little point in Iruka asking himself these kinds of questions because it wasn’t up to him to decide. Whatever decision Naruto made, Iruka would accept it without hesitation.
“I’m not sure he’s my father.” Naruto said softly, pulling Iruka from his thoughts.
Iruka was more than surprised by these words. Of course, the Yondaime Hokage was Naruto’s father, what was he talking about? But if taking care of Naruto all these years had taught him anything about the blond, it was that you shouldn’t stop at first impressions and take everything he said directly to heart.
“What do you mean by that?” He asked.
“I mean… biologically, probably. But the rest, I’m not sure.”
“It’s true that the Fourth Hokage didn’t really have time to be there for you.”
“Yeah, and besides… he still sealed Kyuubi inside me. Iruka, is it normal that I resent him for that?”
Iruka did not respond immediately and thought about it for a while. “I don’t know if it’s normal, but it’s valid. No matter how you feel about him, it’s totally okay.”
“Even if he is the Yondaime Hokage? The hero of the village?”
“Being Hokage doesn’t grant him absolute immunity, and you have the right to resent him for what he put you through, even if he didn’t necessarily mean any harm. And he may have been the village’s hero, but you want to know something, Naruto?”
“What?”
“Today it’s you, the hero of the village.”
Naruto didn’t respond to that right away, thinking about everything Iruka had just told him.
Honestly, he was probably too tired to have that kind of emotional discussion, so he totally blamed his fatigue for what he said next.
“He may be my father, but he will never be my dad.” He mumbled, closing his eyes.
“Oh?” Iruka asked simply.
“He can’t be my Dad; you’ve already taken on that role.”
Iruka froze when he heard that. Naruto had never said anything like that. Never, in all the years they’d lived together, had Naruto labeled their relationship, and that suited Iruka perfectly. He didn’t need a name to know that he loved Naruto deeply.
“You’re my real Dad, thank you Iruka.” Naruto murmured before falling asleep, safe on the back of the one who came closest to a father to him.
To say that Iruka was touched was once again an understatement, but he tried not to show it too much, not now anyway.
“The pleasure is all mine, Naruto.” He added in a low voice.
He didn’t want to wake the young man after all. In ten minutes, they would reach the outskirts of the village, and Iruka was sure Naruto would be greeted and cheered on by everyone. He had, after all, saved Konoha and all its inhabitants today, and Iruka knew the rest of the day was going to be busy for Naruto. He could at least let him sleep a little before facing the villagers; Naruto had certainly earned it.